There is not a single day gone by in recent times when I am not slapped in the face with the changing environment and social culture we have in Australia. The catch cry I was raised on as a kid was " Honest days work for a honest days pay ". Starting working in some shape or form from the age of 14 and often working 3 jobs to get a few nice things and generally give my kids the generational wealth I missed out on. I had nothing coming from a housing commission background but I had some strong values, principles and old fashioned manners instilled in me. Worth plenty in my eyes.
I have been involved in Rugby League as a player, coach, manager, trainer, chief bullshitter, chief end of season trip organiser, chief save a marriage or two bullshitter. I played a game when men were tough, uncompromising and lessons learnt on the field. I remember being a flashy try scorer in my late teens when I came across a bloke 15 years older than me in the other team. His nickname was " Doctor ". I found out when he well and truely " FIXED ME UP " for showing disrespect in the game. Lesson learnt. The same lesson learnt when I carried on like a two dollar watch at the pub and was ' sorted out by the old bloke in the corner with minium of fuss. Again lifes lesson taught and learnt. Respect.
Today , we have players embroiled in social media and it is slowly destroying the fibre of the game. COBBO bagging his coach on a podcast to get likes when this coach picked him from the bush and given him an opportunity to earnt incredible money for the next 10 years which took me 40+ to even try and get near. Disrespecting his coach who won 4 premierships and played for his country and didnt dog his mates on game day becuase he was tired.
The current contract status of our boy MOSES , and the absurd money thrown around for players who if they werent footballers would be printing number plates in goal. Again no RESPECT for the path that has been forged before by many many great men and women. I have no issue people getting huge coin but I just have issues with the lack of respect and manners and not looking at that emblem they are wearing and thinking that I am representing my club and its supporters young and old.
Load up on me but I wont change for anyone. I will always have good manners, I will always have principles and I wont take nothing I havent earnt or contributed to. The old Australian way.
Replies
Well said mate🍻
Cobbo - 100% agree, the club shouldn't have shielded him from his idiocy by saying it was "taken out of context" when it very clearly wasn't given he repeated the statement voluntarily multiple times. He thinks his coach is a dud (don't worry Cobbo, most of us agree) and he put it on record, in video. Idiot move, and he should wear the consequences, for me it's less about respect and more about letting morons learn their lessons to help them grow up because we all know we grow more from our failures than our successes. Hayne would've benefited greatly from a few less people around him telling him how God-like he was.
Moses - I don't understand what people want from him. He hasn't played any of his contract negotiations through the media, whenever he was questioned he just said he loves the Eels, is focused here, and would love to stay, he's been respectful and courteous to everyone involved. His manager is doing his job, trying to get his client the best offers on the table so his client can make the most out of his career.
As an elite athlete you have an extremely limited time to try and setup yourself and your family for the future, your body (and brain, thanks CTE) may well be crippled by the end of your career, a career that can be cut short at any moment with the single snap of a ligament, bone or nerve. I respect Mitch for going about his contract negotiations the way he has - behind closed doors. I respect Mitch for making the most of his elite position in the game, a position that has taken him years to get to and he's had to endure some pretty foul criticism along the way, yet he's rolled with the punches and worked his guts out to get where he is.
Whilst he has played for the Eels he has put his body on the line every week - he has respected the club and the fans. The salary cap is in place so players from successful clubs go to less successful clubs, that's one of the main purposes of a cap, so if that's what happens...so be it. Would I love us to keep Mitch? Yes. Would he love to stay? I'm sure he would. Would I turn down $400k/year extra to play for a club 20kms down the road? Nope. I'd probably take it in a heartbeat and I'd hope that the fans understood that whilst they may see me solely as an Eels Footy Player, I'm also a human being, have a family, have kids to support, and want them to have the best life possible and would do anything to get that for them because some things are bigger than footy.
But I'd also remember that Australia hates tall poppies so whatever I did I'd probably be cut down by someone for it...
Brad Arthur is a career killer.
Who's career has he killed ?
Bevan French, Tepai Moeroa, Nathan Brown to name a few.....
Bevan French ruined his NRL career with a poor attitude, Nathan Brown went from undisciplined hothead to an Origin player under BA, and Tepai Moeroa's career was ruined by a shoulder injury.
He kicked stones around because BA wouldn't pick him at fullback. There was one particular game that I can recall where he completely phoned it in.
Bevan French reminded me a lot of Luke Burt, if French wasn't expected to play like a battering ram he could have been a club legend.
Hi John in my view B French was a talented kid but thats it, and yes he had some similarities to Burty, but i am not sure how BA killed off his career. To me he needed a few more KGs to be a fullback and I don't know what his training was like either.
Mitchy, I think Burty played within his limitations of size and managed it very well.
I think Frenchie was a more brilliant player and his own expectations probably outweighed his deficiences in size. Burty's goal kicking obviously was another advantage.
The bottom line is Burty will go down as something of a legend and we will always be talking about what Beven French could have been.
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